Sports ramblings…with a Yankees bias!

Results tagged ‘ ALS ’

The Yankees lost to the Seattle Mariners, 8-4, to end their seven game winning streak.The loss also prevented the Yankees from closing the gap on the Boston Red Sox and they fell to three games behind the AL East Leaders.

You knew it was going to be one of those days when Mark Teixeira couldn’t snare Ichiro Suzuki’s lead-off hit which bounced off Tex’s glove for a double.In the 6th, Ryan Langerhans led off with a hard grounder that Tex attempted to make a play on but missed, giving the newest Mariner a double.But the official error that ended Teixeira’s 107-game errorless streak didn’t occur until the 9th inning.He threw wide to pitcher Alfredo Aceves, who was covering first, and it allowed Ichiro to reach base safely.He would later score on Russell Branyan’s 451-foot home run to dead center.Texeira’s last error occurred August 19, 2008 while he was a member of the Los Angeles Angels. He has also gone 65 at-bat’s without a home run…

CC Sabathia was throwing in the mid-90’s, but he could not keep his fastball or his change-up down.With the pitches staying in the zone, CC gave up 10 hits and 6 runs in 5 2/3 innings of work.

William Perlman/The Star Ledger

Manager Joe Girardi said after the game, “We had been playing so well and CC was throwing well so I felt good about our chances. He showed he was human”.The only problem is the Yankees don’t pay CC to be human.Anything less than complete domination is unacceptable.Okay, I am just kidding, but you’d expect more than a win-loss record of 7-5 for $161 million.

The Yankees had their opportunities, but the clutch hits never came.In the 9th, it appeared the Yankees were getting something going when the first two batters, Robinson Cano and Nick Swisher, both singled.But fly outs by Hideki Matsui and Melky Cabrera, and a swinging strikeout by pinch hitter Jorge Posada ended the game.

Noah K. Murray/The Star Ledger

It does not get any easier for the Yankees as they open the four-game holiday weekend series with the Toronto Blue Jays.A.J. Burnett will face his former teammates in tonight’s opening game.I’ve never heard of the Blue Jays starter, Brian Tallet, but it seems that’s never a good thing…

Chuck Crow/The Plain Dealer

Meanwhile, the Mariners travel north to Boston to face the Red Sox.Felix Hernandez, who I am glad the Yankees missed, will open their series against 10-game winner Tim Wakefield.If anything came out of the Mariners’ win on Thursday, I hope they can use the momentum to carry them to victory over the Red Sox.I’ll borrow these words that Julia used all week, “Go Seattle!”

Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP

Speaking of Julia, she mentioned on her Julia’s Rants blog that it has been 70 years since Lou Gehrig gave his immortal farewell speech at Yankee Stadium.She also has some good words to say about Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) or Lou Gehrig’s Disease as it is more commonly referred to.

Courtesy als.net

ESPN Outside The Lines has a great piece on their site about final letters written by Lou Gehrig.The letters are primarily between Gehrig and a doctor in Minnesota, Dr. Paul O’Leary, who helped first diagnose Gehrig’s illness.The letters cover the final two years of Gehrig’s life.You can feel Gehrig’s hopes rise and fade through the letters, and I was surprised at how Dr. O’Leary and Eleanor Gehrig withheld the severity of the illness from him.The letters are definitely an interesting read.Saturday will mark the 70th anniversary of Lou’s farewell speech.Lou is my favorite all-time baseball player, and it will be a day to remember how truly special he was…not just as a ballplayer but as a man.

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In other news, the Yankees signed 16-year old catching prospect Gary Sanchez from the Dominican Republic for a signing bonus of nearly $3 million.One Latin American scout said, “He’s a big kid, with a big arm”.Sanchez is 6’2″, 210 lbs.The Yankees would seem to be set at catcher for years to come when Jorge Posada decides to call it a career.Their best catching prospect is 19-year old Jesus Montero, but there’s been some talk he may physically outgrow the position.Montero, 6’4″ and 225 lbs, was recently promoted to the Trenton Thunder (AA).The other key catching prospect in the organization is Austin Romine.Of course, Francisco Cervelli is probably wondering, ‘What about me?’Cervelli will most likely head back to Scranton/Wilkes Barre for further development once Jose Molina completes his injury rehabilitation in the next week.

The Yankees also signed two other Dominican players, shortstop Damian Arredondo and right hander Christopher Cabrera.

Yet another all-Williams final at Wimbledon? I was really pulling for Dinara Safina, who was ranked #1. But she was a complete no-show, and Venus looked like she was practicing with a high schooler. Nevertheless, for the final, I’ll go with Serena…

Let me close with a video of what Julia must have been like as a baby. In fact, I am sure of it…

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